Hand covering for volley ball players



Sept. 11, 1962 L. M. FUREY HAND covaame FOR VOLLEY BALL PLAYERS Filed May 10, 1960 I INVENT OR 35 v I W Lawrence Mi'ureg ATTORNEY United States Patent @fifice 3,052,889 Patented Sept. 11, 1962 3,052,889 HAND COVERING FOR VGLLEY BALL PLAYERS Lawrence M. Furey, Newport News, Va. Filed May 10, 1960, Ser. No. 28,171 2 Claims. (Cl. 2-161) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

My invention relates to a hand covering or glove for volley ball players, and more specifically to a flexible glove which includes a reinforced ball-striking surface.

Prior to my invention, a volley ball was generally served with the palm of the hand, the sides of the hand, or the front of the fist; the latter method being the most eflicient in controlling the course of the ball. In each instance, however, a stinging sensation resulted when the hand struck the 'ball.

It is therefore a primary object of my invention to provide a glove for use in volley ball and the like which will prevent a stinging sensation to the hand when the ball is served.

Another object of my invention is to provide a volley ball glove which will be flexible and still will present a reinforced ball-striking surface.

A further object of my invention is to provide a volley ball glove which is light in weight and will allow the wearer freedom of hand movement while presenting a reinforced ball-striking surface on the front of the fist.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a right-hand glove;

FIGURE 2 is a rear view of the glove shown in FIG URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a front view of the glove closed to represent a fist.

In the drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral indicates the hand covering or glove in general, which may be made of any lightweight, flexible material. The glove 10, preferably in the form of a mitten, has a thumb 11, a front side 12, and a back side 13.

A smooth substantially flat-surfaced semi-rigid reinforcement 14 having an edge 14 extending across the heel adjacent the palm of the hand, preferably of hard leather or rubber, is secured by any suitable means such as gluing, heat sealing or stitching to the heel portion of the front side 12 of the glove 10. A second smooth substantially flat-surfaced semi-rigid reinforcement 15 having an edge 15 adjacent but spaced from the tips of the fingers is similarly secured to the back side 13 of the glove 10 covering the two outermost knuckles of the wearer. It will be noted that the extreme upper end 16 of the glove 10 is free of covering material to enable the fist of the wearer to be comfortably closed. The edges 14, 15' are substantially complementary when the hand covering is closed to represent a fist so as to present a substantially continuous ball-striking area covering the front of the fist.

In operation, the smooth substantially flat-surfaced reinforcements 14, 15 appear on the front of the fist, as shown in FIG. 4, to present a large ball-striking surface.

It will be understood that the reinforcing surfaces 14, 15 could be a thickened portion of the glove material rather than separate members as illustrated in the preferred embodiment of my invention, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A flexible hand covering for use in playing volley ball or the like comprising front and back elements adapted to cover the fingers, palm and heel portion of the hand, a first smooth substantially flat-surfaced reinforcement secured to the heel of the hand covering and extending there-across, said first reinforcement having an edge extending across said heel adjacent said palm, a second smooth substantially flat-surfaced reinforcement secured to said hand covering on the back element across the finger-covering portion thereof, said second reinforcement having an edge adjacent but spaced from the tips of said fingers; said edge of said first reinforcement and said edge of said second reinforcement being substantially complementary when said hand covering is closed to represent a fist; whereby said first and second reinforcements cooperate to present a substantially continuous smooth substantially flat-surfaced ball-striking area covering the front of said fist.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said smooth substantially fiat surfaced reinforcements are of semi-rigid material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,403,817 Pinson Jan. 17, 1922 1,841,193 Lidston Jan. 12, 1932 1,868,822 Goldkind July 26, 1932 2,448,697 Bakke Sept. 7, 1948 2,610,326 Sabin Sept. 16, 1952 

